Is Games with Gold available if I'm on a 30-day Xbox Live Gold credit card trial?

You're eligible. If you have an Xbox 360, you must have a current Xbox Live Gold membership or an Xbox Live Gold trial that requires a credit card.

What kind of Xbox Live Gold trials are eligible?

All Xbox Live trials on Xbox One are eligible for every benefit of Xbox Live Gold, including Games with Gold. On Xbox 360, you’re only eligible if you're on an Xbox Live Gold one-month free trial.

If you're on a 14-day prepaid code trial, you're not eligible. You must have a current Xbox Live Gold subscription or trial that requires a credit card.

Can a child download mature content through Games with Gold?

All Xbox parental control settings are respected by the Games with Gold program. Any restrictions set on purchasing mature content are applied to child accounts when downloading titles offered through Games with Gold.

Games

New Games with Gold titles become available on the first and the sixteenth day of every month.

Xbox One Games with Gold titles are available for free to Gold members for a month at a time. The first title of the month is available from the first day of the month until the end of the month. The second title of the month is available from the sixteenth day of the month until the fifteenth of the following month.

Xbox 360 Games with Gold titles are available for free to Gold members for two weeks at a time. The first title is available from the first day of the month until the fifteenth day. The second title is available from the sixteenth day until the end of the month.

Console: On Xbox Home, there's an Xbox Live Gold tile. When you select that tile, you'll see the free games available to download.

Online: You can redeem Xbox One and Xbox 360 Games with Gold titles at Games with Gold. They’ll be stored in your account and ready for download when you sign in to your console. Please note that you must have a credit card to "purchase" the free games on Xbox.com. However, you won’t be charged for downloading a Games with Gold title during its free period on Xbox.com if you’re an Xbox Live Gold member.

Mobile: If you download the Xbox One SmartGlass app, simply go to the Store and then page right. The Games with Gold titles will be available for redemption there. When you select a game, it’ll be stored in your account and ready for download when you sign in to your console.

I have Xbox Live Gold, but I don't have an Xbox One console yet. Can I still redeem Xbox One games and save them for later?

Yes. You can get two free Xbox One games every month through Games with Gold, directly from your Xbox 360 or on Xbox.com. Build your game library every month and have games waiting for you when you move to Xbox One.

What happens if I miss a game?

You must redeem your game within the timeframe that it’s available for free. You can always purchase the game after the Games with Gold period as well.

Can I redeem the game and not use up my storage space?

Yes! Simply add it to your library using any of the methods outlined in the Where can I redeem the free games? section below. You can leave the title in your queue. If you've already downloaded the game, you can uninstall the game and reinstall it at any point.

What happens to my Games with Gold games if I cancel my Xbox Live Gold subscription?

On Xbox One, you’ll no longer be able to access your Games with Gold titles if you cancel your subscription. However, if you decide to renew your subscription at any time, you’ll be able to access and play your previously redeemed Games with Gold titles again.

On Xbox 360, any Games with Gold titles that you redeem as an Xbox Live Gold member are yours to keep, regardless of whether you continue your subscription.

Will all Xbox 360 games be backward compatible?

All Xbox 360 Games with Gold titles released since Xbox One backward compatibility launched in November 2015 are playable on Xbox One. Past Games with Gold titles may be added as well.

How do I download the backward-compatible Games with Gold titles to play on Xbox One?

You can either download the Xbox 360 Games with Gold titles on an Xbox 360 console or in a browser at Games with Gold. The games will automatically show up on Xbox One in the "Ready to Install" section of My games & apps. We are working on a way for users to download the games on Xbox One directly, but at this moment you'll need to do it on Xbox.com or have previously redeemed/downloaded the title on Xbox 360. See Moving from Xbox 360 to Xbox One.

What kinds of games are included?

Games will be a mixture of fan-favorite Xbox Live Arcade and Games on Demand digital titles.

What will be the ratings on the games?

Game ratings will vary.

Do you disclose titles in advance of free game offers?

Games will be announced during the week prior to the offers via Xbox Wire. Exact announcement dates will vary.

Troubleshooting

What if I get an error while trying to download a game?

If you're having trouble downloading a game, check for service alerts on the Xbox Live Status page, or see if an Xbox Live service alert appears at the top of this page. If there are any service alerts, wait a while and then try again.

If Xbox Live is up and running, make sure you're signed in with the gamertag that has the Xbox Live Gold subscription. If you're signed in with the right gamertag, try searching for the error at Error & status code search.

What if I don't get an error but I'm still having trouble downloading a game?

What if I can't access Games with Gold even though I have a paid subscription?

When you try to access Games with Gold, make sure you're using the gamertag that has the Xbox Live Gold subscription. If you redeemed a promotional Xbox Live Gold token as part of your subscription, you won't be eligible for Games with Gold. If you used a prepaid code to sign up for Xbox Live Gold, make sure it was successfully redeemed.

If you live in one of the countries or regions listed above under "Offer and eligibility" and still can't access Games with Gold, contact Xbox Support.

When I try to download an Xbox 360 game on Xbox.com, I get the error message "Is this your first purchase? To ensure it is compatible, please sign in to Xbox Live using your console and try again."

Some Xbox 360 games have country restrictions that require an Xbox user to verify their home country by downloading the game to an Xbox 360 console. This does not necessarily mean the game is not available in your country. In these rare instances, you will need to download the game to an Xbox 360 console before you can download games through Xbox.com.

When I try to download a game from Xbox.com I get a message that says "You have no valid payment options on file." Will I be charged for the free Games with Gold?

You won’t be charged for the Games with Gold download. The Xbox.com Store requires a valid payment option to download Xbox 360 games. However, no charges will be made since Games with Gold is free to Xbox Live Gold members.

How do I reinstall or uninstall a Games with Gold game?

You can always uninstall a game and then later reinstall it.

On Xbox One:

Open My games & apps on the Home screen.

Select Games.

Highlight the game you want to uninstall, press the Menu button, and then select Manage game.

Select Manage all, select Uninstall all, and then select Uninstall.

You can then reinstall the game by inserting the disc or downloading it again either through your queue in the My games & apps area or via the Xbox Store.

On Xbox 360:

Sign in to Xbox Live on your console using the gamertag you used when you originally purchased the content.

Go to Settings and select Account.

Select Download History.

Browse your download history and find the item you want to download again.

Select the item, and then select Download Again.

I'm getting prompted to add a payment option to complete the purchase, but I'm trying to download a free game.

This error message means that you don’t have a payment option on your Microsoft account. You must have a payment option on your account to download free content from the Xbox 360 Marketplace. To add a payment option, sign in to your Microsoft account, select Add a payment option, and then follow the instructions.

If you don’t want to add a payment option, you can download the content using your Xbox 360 console.